Author: abbylev89

Dressin’ Up in Ottawa: Part I

/ abbylev89 / Leave a comment
Outfit and Occasion

IMG_20141110_155831IMG_20141108_221554163

Outfits:

Necessary Clothing dress gifted (necessaryclothing.com), around $30.00, Forever21 necklace (forever21.com), $8.00, earrings gifted

My fashionista sister, Jess, got me this dress for a birthday one year and I love its fun pattern.  Necessary Clothing is like a smaller, pricier Forever21.  It is still pretty cheap and often surpasses Forever in quality.  This dress is one of my favorites for special occasions!

IMG_20141108_175616530

Forever21 The Beagles “I want to hold your paw” graphic (forever21.com), $13.00

This conversation-starter shirt is pretty hilarious if you ask me!  I packed this in my suitcase to wear for a casual day on my trip to Ottawa!

Occasion:

hung-sum

Hung Sum

IMAG1756IMAG1755

Allium

Tom and I journeyed to Ottawa, Canada for a four day weekend!  We made it in only 3 1/2 hours with a detailed itinerary to implement!  With every meal planned based on reviews from trip advisor, we were seriously excited to experience some delicious eats.

We started in Chinatown at Hung Sum and had out of this world dim sum.  After exploring beautiful Parliament Hill, we got ready for a classy night at Allium, a fancy bistro with innovative dishes.  No lie – one of the best meals I’ve ever had!  Just look at the pictures above!  Our meal included braised short rib tart, mushrooms on toast, Cornish hen two ways and braised beef cheek/crab cake.

IMG_20141108_160546459_HDR

IMG_20141108_154912919_HDR

Parliament Hill 

Happy Halloween!

/ abbylev89 / Leave a comment
Outfit and Occasion:

unnamed-21

Cheetah costume (Goodwill, Burlington), $10.00

In the past, I’ve spent a pretty penny on costumes at Old Gold, the high-end costume store in Burlington.  This year I randomly found this at The Goodwill!  The costume was comfortable and easy and I didn’t have to spend a fortune.  Along with the suit were white gloves and an orange bag.

What did you dress up as for Halloween?

Shark Attack

/ abbylev89 / 2 Comments
Outfit and Occasion

IMG_20140921_135613895

IMG_20140921_140124078

Outfit:

Forever 21 Shark Sweater (Forever21.com), $14.50, BDG pants (Urban Outfitters on sale, Burlington) $20.00.

This sweater is definitely an attention grabber.  It’s also not something that I would expect to find at Forever21!  It’s bedazzled to an extreme with hot orange teeth that would actually hurt anyone receiving a hug.  It’s a good combination of comfortable and snazzy 🙂  The red pants are pretty bold as well!

Occasion:

unnamed-18

On the way to Snake Mountain, Tom and I stopped for a scrumptious bite at one The 3 Squares in Vergennes.  It is a special occasion because it’s a bit of a trek from Burlington, but a perfect stop on the way to our hike.  I got the challah fresh toast.  Splurgin from my diet and it was totally worth it!  So sweet, so decadent :).

unnamed-19 unnamed-20

Snake Mountain is not incredibly difficult but it aint easy either!  It was the perfect temperature for a hike – not too chilly or sweaty.  We took an unconventional way back, but it was very beautiful and lots of fun!  Great day hike!

unnamed-17

Later, I switched up the pants and went to JP’s  for karaoke with a bunch of friends and performed Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show.  JP’s is a guaranteed good time for me.  I believe I’ve even earned the title of a “regular”! 🙂

Celebrating one year with my main squeeze!

/ abbylev89 / Leave a comment
Outfit and Occasion

IMG_20141019_160111967

IMG_20141019_160717638

IMG_20141019_160245713

Outfit:

Free People Sweater (Loehmans, NY), $20.00, Max Studio Skirt (TJ Maxx, Burlington), $15.00

I’m in love with the periwinkle color of this sweater (even if it is a little spring-y).  It goes well with this skirt, which reminds me of a boho Free People style. Luckily with both, I avoided Free People’s steep prices!

Occasion:

Tom and My One-Year Anniversary!

unnamed-15  IMG_20141019_212624052

a bottle of Champagne courtesy of Stacey and Tom Senior ; happy together 🙂

unnamed-13    unnamed-14Untitled drawing-6

Starry Night Cafe is a sweet and stand apart little restaurant in Ferrisburgh that has the ambiance of a tastefully decorated and beautiful home.  It is very romantic and the perfect spot to celebrate a whole year with an exceptional significant other!  Tom is everything I could possibly ask for and more!

We were greeted with a Happy Anniversary bottle of champagne from Tom’s dad and stepmom to set the mood for a phenomenal meal.  We reminisced over a wonderful year of fun and happiness.  We split calamari and THE best beef tartare, probably in the world.  For our entrees, I had pork loin and Tom had Shepard’s Pie.  Definitely a great place for a special occasion that will be delicious and memorable.

Featured Friend: Munchin’ with Mahas

/ abbylev89 / Leave a comment
Featured Friend
unnamed-11   unnamed-12

Who better to kick off the “featured friend” category than with Ms. Fashionista, Mahas?!  She is someone who loves finding deals just as much as me!  She is known for her amazing finds at Old Navy and H & M!  She is always put together and ALWAYS adorable!  These anthropology intricate earrings are the perfect compliment to a comfortable yet stylish ensemble on a chilly day!

Outfit:

Old Navy Pants ON SALE $15.00, Marshalls Sweater $20.00, Old Navy Shoes $10.00, Vintage Scarf gifted, H & M Bag, $20.00, Anthropologie Earrings ON SALE $10.00 (originally 54.99!)

Occasion:

penny-cluse-cafe

Mahas and I met up at Penny Cluse!  Brunch at Penny Cluse is unmatchable.  It is no wonder that it is ranked 2 of 206 on trip advisor (I really think it deserves #1!).  What makes it so special?  The flavorful coffee that is constantly being refilled, the well-seasoned home fries, the far-from-spongy eggs, the savory pancakes, the moist banana bread and juicy sausage…pretty much everything!  I got the tofu scram with pesto, baguette, and home fries and I was once again in heaven!  We waited an hour (not too bad for Penny Cluse) but it was, and always is, totally worth it!